CHAPTER XVI
MAMMY A SHERLOCK HOLMES.
During the following week Independence Day was celebrated, and such hadbecome the fame of both Mammy's luncheons and Constance's candies, thatthese two busy women found every moment filled more than full.
Each had reason to remember another July Fourth, and Mary Willing mostreason of all. The Mary Willing of this year bore little resemblance tothe Mary Willing of that one, and a happier girl it would have been hardto find. Fanny was now staying with Mary, sharing with her the prettylittle room in Mrs. Carruth's home, and had quite won her way into Mrs.Carruth's heart by her sweet, gentle ways.
During the spring poor, shiftless Jim Willing had taken himself and hisfamily out West, thanks to Hadyn's influence in securing for him aposition upon a large farm in Minnesota, where he was not only compelledto work, but where also, thanks to Hadyn, he could not loaf and drink,for the man whom he served was not to be trifled with. In May the familyhad emigrated, to the intense satisfaction of those most deeplyinterested in Mary and Fanny, and the boundless relief of theirneighbors.
In the course of the week which followed her suspicions concerningKatherine Boggs, Mammy began to lay her plans, and, as usual, with heraccustomed shrewdness. She did not wish Constance to suspect herinterference, but she was fully resolved to get to the bottom of thematter. Mammy had already formed her opinion, and Mammy was not oftenwrong. Fate seemed to favor her, for one morning, when she happened tobe at her counter, Elijah Sniffins entered the Arcade, and going to thecigar stand bought a cigar, which he lighted and began to smoke. He thenstrolled down toward the candy counter. It was a warm, sultry day, withscarcely a breath stirring. The window giving upon the street in theArch was open, as was the door leading from Constance's little office,to a short hall communicating with the side street. From her counterMammy watched Sniffins until he entered the candy Arch, and thenslipping out of the rear door of the Arcade made her way around theblock and entered Constance's office by the side door.
For greater protection Constance had hung China silk curtains across thegrillwork, which divided her office from the counter, but these, whileaffording her perfect seclusion, did not cut off the sound of acustomer's footfalls.
Under ordinary circumstances, Mammy would have scorned to resort to suchmeasures to obtain her end, but she felt pretty sure that her MissConstance was being tricked for some purpose, and felt herself justifiedin fighting fire with fire.
With exceptional wisdom for her years Constance had arranged withCharles and Mammy a little code of signals on the electric buttonsbeside her desk and under the counter in her Arch. The signals hadserved to good purpose, as has already been shown, for old Charles hadcome most opportunely when needed one morning. The code was simple: Onering meant, "Are you there?"; two, "Come to my counter"; three, "Please'phone up to Mr. Porter that Miss Carruth needs him at once." This lastcall was clearly an emergency call and had never been put to the test;but both Mammy and Charles, as well as the young colored boy who servedat Mammy's counter, knew that it must not be disregarded for one instantif it did come. Constance never knew why she had added it to the simplelittle code, for she certainly never anticipated any special need forit. Still, it was a comfort to the young girl to feel that, shouldanything serious occur, she could instantly turn to Mr. Porter.
Mammy entered the office unheard by the two people in the Arch, therumble of vehicles in the street drowning all sound of her footfalls.Sniffins was standing at the counter in earnest conversation with MissBoggs. Presently Mammy overheard these words:
"Lige, I _can't_! I just can't any longer. She's too lovely to me."
"Ah, shut up that stuff. What does she do for you, anyway! Nothin' mor'nanybody else would, an' she gets enough out o' you for seven dollars aweek. Gosh, she's makin' seventy if she's makin' a cent. Here, lemme seethat last memorandum of sales made."
"I haven't got it here," was the low-spoken reply.
"Then where have you got it? I want it, do you understand."
"I don't see why you want it. I don't see what good it does you, anyway,to know how much candy is sold here," was the querulous answer.
"Ah, what do you know, anyway? You never did have enough sense to go inout of the rain. _I_ know what I want it for. When I'm sure thisbusiness is makin' the right-sized pile, I'm goin'--well, never mind whatI'm going to do. But what I want you to do right now is to strike forten dollars a week--see? You've been here six months on seven dollars,an' that's long and plenty. Now we're going to have more of theprofits."
Katherine merely shook her head stubbornly.
"Does that mean that you won't?" asked Lige, in an ugly tone.
"Yes, it does."
"All right, all right. Then you can dust your sweet self out of 620mighty quick. No happy home for you of my puttin' up unless you do as Isay, Miss Prude. Now where's that memorandum I want?"
As he spoke Lige made a move as though he intended to go behind thecounter. Poor, simple little Katherine! She had never been intended toplay a double game.
At that moment Mammy pressed the button four times. Here was a situationneeding a firmer hand than hers. A moment later the boy at Mammy's Archwas 'phoning up to Mr. Porter's office.
"Please, sir, I just got four rings from Miss Carruth's candy Arch, andMrs. Blairsdale, she say if ever I git _that_, I must call you up rightsmart, and ask you please to go there, 'cause Miss Constance ain't nevergoin' to ring four rings unless she need you quick."
"I'll be there inside of two minutes, Fred," and the receiver wassnapped back.
"Get away, Lige; are you crazy?" cried Katherine, under her breath, atthe same time foolishly making a dash for her pocketbook which lay upona shelf behind her. As she clasped it Lige caught her wrist in a gripwhich made her cry aloud in pain. At that moment Mr. Porter entered theArch. Lige dropped Katherine's arm and made a dash for Constance'ssanctum, but Mammy had anticipated all this; she had shut and locked thedoor leading to the side street.
"Mebby yo' t'ink mos' eve'ybody as big a fool as yo' is, Mr. Sniffins,but yo' see dey's _some_ wise an' hones' ones yit, don' yo'? Now, sah,yo' set yo'sef right spang down on dat ar' cheer t'will I ax yo' a fewques'ions, wha' Massa Po'tah gwine hyar, an' dat po' li'l fool outyonder gwine 'splain ef we ses-so. Yas, Massa Po'tah, _I'se_ runnin't'ings just now, an', please, sah, keep yo' eye on dat skunk, fo' Itells yo' he ain't nothin' in de roun' worl' else. Now, _Miss Sniffins_,yo' please, ma'am, come on hyar, too, fo' yo's needed p'intedly."
In spite of the serious side of the question, Mr. Porter could not helpsmiling at Mammy's generalship. Sniffins stood in the middle of theroom, glowering like a trapped animal, and Katherine entered ittrembling like a leaf. Notwithstanding her righteous wrath, Mammy couldnot help pitying the shrinking little figure, and, placing a chair forher, she said kindly:
"Dar, dar, chile, don' yo' git so pannicky. Nobody ain' gwine kill yo'whilst Massa Po'tah an' me close by, dough, Gawd knows wha' dat low-downsumpin'-nurrer lak ter do if he git a chance; _I_ ain' speculatin'."
"Mammy, what is the meaning of all this?" interrupted Mr. Porter at thisjuncture.
"Dat's jist 'xactly what I don' sent fo' yo' fer ter fin' out, sah.Dere's been some sort of debbilmint gwine on hyar fer a right smartwhile, an' I'se made it ma b'isness fer ter git scent of it an' trailit, I has. Dat ar'--dat ar', my Gawd! I spec's I _gotter_ call him a mankase dar don' seem to be no yether name fo' him, but _he's_ at de bottomob it, an' wha' fo' he is, is jist what I means fer ter fin' out befo' Ilets him outer dis hyar office. Now, sah, Massa Po'tah, yo' kin hab debench an' question de prisoner."
Porter had seen enough upon entering the Arch to make him realize thatMammy had pretty good grounds for her words and the rage which seemed toalmost consume her. Ordinarily Mammy's face was wonderfully serene, butMammy was a pure-blooded African negro, born of an African slavecaptured and brought to the United States when the slave trade was aflourishing and disgraceful source of revenue, and Mammy was born notlong after
her mother's capture. In moments of excitement all her racialcharacteristics dominated to a degree that transformed her. At thepresent moment there was a fierce conflict between heredity andtradition, and the environment and training of a lifetime.
"Mammy, tell me what took place before I came upon the scene," said Mr.Porter. "I mean within the last half hour, not before."
Mammy repeated all she had seen and heard. As she talked Mr. Porter rangthe janitor's bell. When the man appeared he said to him: "Get Terry andwait with him out in the main corridor. Do it quickly, and don't make afuss." Terry was the house detective.
"Now, Sniffins, sit down and explain what I saw as I entered the Arch.There is something wrong here, and I've got to get to the bottom of itright off. It will be useless to beat about the bush now. Mammy has seenand heard enough to make things very disagreeable for you, I fancy, andcertainly I've seen pleasanter spectacles than your conduct with MissBoggs as I entered-----"
"She ain' Miss Boggs no mo'n I is," broke in Mammy.
Sniffins would not answer. Mr. Porter turned to the trembling littlefigure at the opposite side of the room, real pity in his kind eyes.Sniffins glowered at her. Catching the look, Mr. Porter turned upon himlike lightning.
"If you try to intimidate that child, by the great Jehosaphat I'lleither give myself the satisfaction of thrashing you, or turning youover to Terry on an accusation you'll not like. Now quit it! You haven'ta thing in the world to fear, Miss Boggs; I guess it is all far lessgrave than it seems to you this minute. So tell me the whole truth."
Mr. Porter's voice had changed rapidly from the severe tones directedtoward Sniffins, and now held only encouragement for the terrified girl.After a few spasmodic sobs she faced him and said:
"No, Mr. Porter, I shall not try to keep up this deceit any longer. Itold Lige when I began it that it would be useless. I'm not the kind ofgirl who can do such things; I'm not smart enough."
"Reckons yo's too smart fer ter try ter be what he is," broke in Mammy.Mr. Porter held up his hand to enjoin silence, but if Mammy consented tokeep her tongue still, she could still wag her head and use her eyes,and to some purpose.
"My name isn't Boggs, but Sniffins----"
"What I done tole yo'!" exploded Mammy.
"Lige is my brother. He wanted me to take the situation. At first I didnot know why he was so anxious for me to. I thought it was just becausehe wanted me to have one which he believed might lead to something agood deal better later on, because Miss Carruth's candy business wasgrowing fast, and I might get to be a forewoman, or something like that.You see, I used to know Mary Willing at school, and she and Fanny areboth doing so well, but----" and Katherine hesitated.
"Go on, Miss Sniffins," said Mr. Porter, encouragingly; but the lookElijah Sniffins gave his sister was not pleasant.
"Well, he just made me take this place, and wouldn't let me tell my realname; and I've been scared nearly to death every day of my life for fearMary Willing would come down here, and that would be the end of it all.But that wasn't the worst; pretty soon I guessed just why Lige wanted mehere, and--and--oh, it seemed as though I just couldn't stand it anotherminute; I was so ashamed. Miss Carruth is so kind to me, and has alwaysbeen."
"And the true reason?" interrogated Mr. Porter.
"Oh, I _can't_ tell it," cried the girl, turning scarlet and burying herface in her hands.
"It will be better to do so here than to do so elsewhere, will it not? Iam determined to get to the bottom of all this, now that I have begun,and much prefer to keep it quiet for the sake of all concerned. I thinkI already guess more than you realize. I shall ask a few questions tomake it easier for you?"
"She ain't got to answer none if she don't want ter," was Elijah's surlyremark.
"Will you kindly keep quiet until your information is desired?" said Mr.Porter, quietly. "Your brother wished you to have this situation for tworeasons, I take it: The first for the income and prospectiveadvancement; the second because it brought you in close touch with MissCarruth and might prove a wedge for his social aspirations, which I hearare ambitious."
The girl nodded assent.
"You objected to the deceit practiced and rebelled. Was that the causeof his anger and gross rudeness as I entered?"
"Partly."
"And the rest?"
"He made me keep strict account of the sales and profits and give him amemorandum each week," whispered Katherine.
"Indeed. And to what end?"
"He said--he said, he'd make up his mind that he would get to know andwould marry Miss Carruth if the business got to be--to be--a big one----"
"My Gawd a-mighty!" cried Mammy, flying out of the chair upon the edgeof which she had been sitting, her old face the picture of consternationand amazement. It was not surprising that Sniffins sprung from hissimultaneously and made toward the door, for Mammy certainly was wrathand retribution incarnate.
Mr. Porter barred the way of one and said sternly: "Mammy, sit down!"
"But--but--but--Massa Po'tah, is yo' hyar wha' dat man a-sayin'? _Is_ yo'?He--he marry ma Miss Jinny's daughter? Why, he ain', he ain' fitten ferter bresh her shoes! Lemme jes' lay ma hans on him an' frazzle him out."
Mammy was nearly beside herself with indignation.
"Mammy, do you wish to remain here and hear the rest of this ridiculousstory, or must I have Sniffins and his sister taken up to my office? Itis too public here for loud talking, and if you wish to save your littlegirl deep mortification, and her mother the keenest distress, you willcontrol yourself. This is the greatest folly I could have believed anysane being capable of, but if it gets noised abroad it will soon growinto a scandal, as you must realize. Remember this, every one present,Miss Carruth must never learn one word about it if we can keep it fromher. Now, go on, Miss Sniffins, and tell all the rest of this wretchedfolly and, yes, downright rascality, for your brother has placed himselfin a very unenviable position."
"You can't _prove_ nothin'," protested Sniffins.
"Prove anything! Man, are you altogether a fool? Intimidating yoursister into masquerading under an assumed name, to say nothing ofhanding over a private memoranda of another person's business affairs,and, by the way, Miss Sniffins, I'll take charge of that lastmemorandum, if you please," said Mr. Porter, extending his hand towardKatherine.
"No, I'm hanged if you do," blustered Sniffins, springing toward her.
With a grip like iron Mr. Porter forced him back upon his chair.Katherine handed him a slip of paper from her purse.
"Thank you. Now, Sniffins, I've just a few concluding words to say toyou, but you will do well to heed them: In the first place, you havemade an ass of yourself pure and simple. In the second, you are prettyclose to being something far worse. You have done some queer thingslately, and tried some very questionable tricks down there on StateStreet, as you know even better than I do, although, as I hinted to yousome time ago, I know enough, and a heap more than you suspect. I don'twant to make trouble for you, or any other man just beginning hiscareer, but I won't stand for rascality. Now here is your chance and youhave no choice but to take it: You gave your sister no choice, remember,and now it's your turn to eat a little of your own loaf. Ask to betransferred to some other office--the further away the better."
"Ah--what sort of a game are you puttin' up?" snarled Sniffins.
"It is you, not I, who have put up the game, and since you've begun ityou may as well make up your mind to play it out. You can easily gettransferred, and that is just what you've got to do. This place hasgrown too warm for you in a good many ways. Your mother is fairlywell-to-do, and your sister has this situation."
"But I can't keep it! I can't!" lamented Katherine.
"You must. Once your brother is away you have nothing to apprehend."
"But my name! What will Miss Carruth think?" deplored Katherine.
"Will you leave that to me?" asked Mr. Porter, real compassion in hisvoice and face for this unhappy little victim of an unscrupulous will.
"I
want to stay, oh, I _do_ want to, for Miss Carruth is always solovely to me."
"You's gwine fer ter stay, too," announced Mammy, autocratically,hastily going to Katherine's side to soothe and pat as she would haveconsoled a distressed child.
"Oh, Mammy, Mammy, she won't let me stay," sobbed the contrite littlesoul.
"How she gwine know anything 'bout dese hyer doin's?" demanded Mammy.
"I don't see how she can help it."
"Well, den, I does."
"Keep your situation, Miss Sniffins, and also keep quiet. I shall tellMiss Constance that you gave the assumed name because you feared shemight feel some prejudice against engaging you if she learned you wereMr. Sniffins' sister; I am sure that is a pretty valid reason, for shehas every reason to wish to avoid him; he has never figured pleasantlyin her affairs. And now I think we have had enough of all this. Butremember this, Sniffins: I mean exactly what I have said, and SouthRiveredge is no place for your future business operations. You have comepretty near making a serious mess of things for yourself and everyoneconnected with you, and a halt has been called. Move on, and take a wordof advice from a business man of double your years--_move straighthereafter_. Now go."
Sniffins left the office by the side door, which Mammy unlocked and heldopen with this parting shot:
"Ain' I done told yo' long time ergo dat _some_ day niggers gwine ferter hol' open de do' fo' yo' stid of yo' fo' _dem_?"
Mammy had never forgotten or forgiven the experience of her first visitto Elijah Sniffins' office, and she was settling an old score. Then,turning to Katherine, she asked:
"Wha yo' gwine spen' de nex' few days, honey? I would'n aim fer ter gohome ef I was yo'."
"I shall stay with a friend here in South Riveredge. I believe Ligewould half kill me if I went home, he's so awful mad."
"Dat's right, yo' keep 'way f'om dat man."
"Yes, it is wiser, Miss Sniffins. Don't worry, all will come out rightin the end; he has just lost his head--that's all. Now mind what I say,both of you: Not one word of all this anywhere else. I wouldn't have allthis folly come to that little girl's ears for all I'm worth. It'salmost incredible that anyone could act like such a fool. Paugh! itmakes me ill. I feel as though some loathsome beast had drawn near thatlittle girl of ours," and with a quick "good-day" Mr. Porter turned andstrode from the office, out through the Arch and into the main corridor,where the janitor and Terry stood quietly talking together. They glancedup as he drew near.
"Oh, Donnely," he said to the janitor, "just take a look at that faucetin Arch Number One, will you? It's leaking a little; and Terry, ifyou'll come up to my office with me you can get those papers now as wellas any time." A word, a smile to those in the other Arches, and not athought was given by anyone to what might have been a very unpleasantepisode in Constance Carruth's career.